Best Happy Hour Buffet
Applebee's Neighborhood Bar & Grill
Three Locations
READERS' PICK: The selection of Applebee's as best
happy hour buffet says more about the changing nature of Tucson
than a dozen Skinnys saturated with no-growth venom. If you live
downtown, around the University or even in what used to be "central,"
there's good chance you've never stepped inside any of Tucson's
trio of Applebee's; all three are located in especially Phoenician
parts of town--the northwest and east sides. The evening I visited
the Wetmore Applebee's there was no "buffet" as such.
Instead, a couple selections--wings, jalapeño poppers,
etc.--were half-priced for the duration. With the WNBA on the
screen and young professionals answering cell phones, I actually
wondered if I'd taken a wrong turn off Oracle and wound up somewhere
on Camelback Road. There's really nothing to distinguish Applebee's
from any of the other family-friendly, Cheers clones out there:
Service is professional and almost Disney-like in its courtesy,
the food is good enough bar food and is as reasonably priced as
one could expect. Those of us who live in what is increasingly
"Old Tucson" who're interested in a peek into the future
of public libation, need drive no further than Applebee's for
a kinder, gentler happy hour.
READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: Carlos Murphy's, 419 W. Congress
St.
A REAL SCREAM: When the legendary Cushing Street Bar
and Grill (Cushing Street at South Meyer Avenue) re-opened
with a spectacular new menu, we never thought it could get any
better--until this summer, when the staff introduced its new happy-hour
menu, slashing prices on some mainstays and introducing a few
new delights. For less than $4, you can treat yourself to red
beans and rice, seafood gumbo, scallops and pasta, calimari, and
tasty vegetable quesadillas. Best of all, happy hour comes twice
a day, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the afternoon and 10 p.m. to midnight
as your night draws to an end.
